Chateau Musar Bekaa Valley Lebanon 2016  £47.16

Chateau Musar Bekaa Valley Lebanon 2016

From the winery...

Overview

Our expectations for the 2016 harvest were obviously influenced by our thoughts of the adverse weather we experienced in 2015 but we did have a positive start in December 2015, the month providing 130mm of rainfall. This was followed by 360mminJanuary accompanied by a good deal of snow, providing the soils with much needed moisture and nutrients. February and March proved cold and rainy with a further 300mm of rainfall which was hugely welcomed by the dry terrain. April was warm with an average night temperature of plus 5 degrees Celsius rather than the minus 5 of the year before. May arrived with 45mm of rain, enough to boost the vines and from then on, we began to have higher expectations for this year’s harvest. A sunny June followed with low humidity and in July, we enjoyed an average temperature of 34 degrees throughout the month. This was key in pushing the harvest towards early maturation, faster than any previous year! Cabernet Sauvignon was the first to be harvested on 16th August from silty soils encouraging early ripening. Cinsault followed on the 2nd September with Carignan on the 7th.

Grape Varietals

An equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Carignan

Winemaking

The varietal components in Chateau Musar Red undergo lengthy fermentations in cement vats at temperatures below 30°C. 6 months after the harvest they are transferred into French barrels (oak from the forest of Nevers) for one year.

Tasting Notes

Bottled unfined and unfiltered, Chateau Musar Reds are suitable for vegans; they’re also richly-textured and likely to ‘throw a crust’. This is a common feature of most fine wines and is especially true of Musar Red vintages over a decade old. Ideally, bottles should be standing up the night before opening to allow the sediment to settle. After careful decanting (and discarding of sediment, usually in the last centimetre of the bottle) the wine should be allowed to breathe for an hour and served at 18°C with roasts, grills (especially lamb), casseroles, game, and mature cheeses.